The Alameda County Public Health Department is pulling back a request to the county’s Board of Supervisors to support a Variance Attestation that would allow the county to move into the next phase of reopening.
A press release from Alameda County’s Office of Emergency Services announced increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates have compelled the county to temporarily pause its reopening plans.
Alameda County has recorded 5,762 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the most of any Bay Area county. The county has added more than 700 cases to its count over the last seven days and has also recorded 13 additional deaths, bringing the COVID-19 death toll in Alameda County to 133.
“We are concerned by the increase in local cases, disproportionate impact on communities of color, local impact of the outbreak at San Quentin State Prison, and the alarming disease trends we see in counties that have opened at a faster rate,” the release said.
The next phase of reopening in Alameda County was set to allow indoor restaurant dining, salons and barbershops, pools and pro sports without fans to resume operations. It’s unclear how the county’s decision to pull back its support for a Variance Attestation will impact the Oakland A’s, who planned to begin working out at the Coliseum in preparation for the 2020 regular season on Friday.
“Pro sports without fans” will have to wait, but the A’s could be allowed to hold practices and training sessions because “outdoor fitness” is permitted in the county.
Alameda County’s announcement followed a similar decision made by Contra Costa County on Monday, which said it is halting plans to reopen businesses such as bars, gyms and indoor restaurant dining.
The Office of Emergency Services noted Alameda County’s case rate per 100,000 residents has increased from 63.2 to 71.1 over the past seven days and said the hospitalization rate has also increased over the last week.
The release said this week “will be critical for assessing the impact of activities authorized to
resume in Alameda County on June 19, and we will continue to closely monitor our data to inform next
steps regarding reopening and attestation.”
On June 19, Alameda County allowed retail, outdoor dining, outdoor museums, religious and cultural ceremonies, outdoor fitness and summer schools to reopen.
